The Betrayal
by Johanna Night
Summary: The chilling sequel to Night Waves. Percy and his friends prepare for battle against Erebus, fighting against fate to win. But what setbacks has the Primordial of the Night planned? Percy/Nyx


EXCERPT FROM 'NIGHT WAVES':

_WE GET OURSELVES INTO A BIG MESS_

_Liliana ran up the hill, panting. "Chiron! Chiron! The attack is beginning in ten minutes!"_

_Chiron frowned. "How?"_

_"Their base! I saw it in the shield. An approximate time of ten minutes to get here."_

_Chiron gasped. "Camp! Go to the armory! We have ten minutes to get ready! Get into full armor! This is no time for arrogance. I repeat, we have TEN MINUTES before the battle!"_

_Campers surged forward. The entire camp was filled with chaos, and clangs of metal on metal as they hurried into armor._

_"Rally! Lock shields! Archers, positioning!" Chiron shouted amid the mess. The campers stopped, and began to organize into war formation. _

_Just as the last camper dove into the ranks, the alarm horn sounded. _

_"Campers! Good luck!" Chiron's voice was drowned out by the clopping of horse hooves._

_The army of the titans surged forward, and leading them was none other than Erebus, Primordial of the night, former husband of my fiancé, Nyx. _

_"You see, little hero? You think you've won," He laughed coldly. "But in fact, the real battle hasn't even begun."_

I SPY A SPY

The battle was going badly. Our side was losing, one hundred to one. The monsters kept coming in waves, but the campers slowly fell. I slashed and hacked, demolishing a good chunk of the Titan army, but more replaced them.

"Well, well, well, how are you doing, little hero?" Erebus chucked coldly.

I spun and blocked his sword. "What do you want?" I spat.

He raised his eyebrow. "Revenge, of course. For stealing my wife, you shall die!" He raised his blade and charged.

"Percy, no!" Nyx was a blur of black as she materialized next to me and began forcing Erebus backwards, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Worthless woman," He muttered, swiping her aside. That was the last straw.

I charged at him, my eyes flashing with anger. "How _dare_ you call her worthless!"

He brought his blade down in an arc, narrowly missing my neck. "Die, Jackson!" He roared, pelting me with blows and treating me to a whole lot of curse words in languages I didn't recognize.

I snarled. "Bring it on!" I leapt forward, and kicked him in the chest. He stumbled.

"Damn you, Jackson! You shall burn!" He rained blow after blow on me, and I was forced to go on the defense.

"Those things you said… How did you know?" I panted. He smirked. "No way…"

He nodded. "Yes, little hero. I have a spy, and a very loyal one at that. It has been keeping me informed very well."

With his free hand, he pulled out a Silver Star. "I will very much enjoy watching you tear each other apart," He chuckled.

I shook my head. "No we won't," I denied. But I wasn't too sure.

Erebus smiled. "See you later, little hero. Goodbye." He vanished in a puff of smoke.

The campers were all milling about, surveying all the damage. Chiron trotted over, and began wrapping the bodies of the deceased in shrouds. "Lord Perseus, Lady Nyx," He called. "Could you please assist in helping the injured?"

I nodded. I began making rounds around the battlefield, healing all who had critical injuries. Nyx trailed behind, bandaging the injuries of the people I had left behind. Before long, the camp was full of bloodied and weary campers getting ready to go to bed.

The fire was low and dim in the dining area. Hestia sat unnoticed by the shadows, and when I nodded to her, she didn't even pick up her head.

The night shone with the funeral pyres for the newly dead. The air was dampened by the downcast mood of the campers mourning for lost loved ones. Travis and Connor Stoll were hugging in the back. It was kind of nice to see brotherly affection for once, unlike Nyx's sisters Lily and Johanna, which were constantly fighting.

Jenna from the Demeter cabin was crouched in the corner, sobbing over the body of her brother Sam. Joan from the Aphrodite cabin walked over, and the two girls started talking quietly.

"So what now?" Nyx said bitterly. She gestured to the ruins of the camp, and I shrugged. "Was Erebus telling the truth about having a spy?"

I nodded grimly. "Unfortunately so."

"So what do we do? Frisk every demigod until we find someone with a Silver Star?"

I smiled a little. "Nope. You know, Jake said something similar when we were in the Second Titan War."

Nyx frowned. "So what do we do now?"

"We can't risk ripping each other apart," I reminded her. "That's just what Erebus wants."

I began scooping up medical supplies and stacking them in a pile. Nyx trudged back to her cabin, looking downcast. I hurried after her. "Come on, Nyx. Let's go to bed."

She didn't protest, and after showering in the many bathrooms that the cabin had, we crashed on the bed.

I DREAM ABOUT MY DEMISE

The bad thing about demigod dreams is that the worse your situation gets, the worse your dreams do. And the same goes for gods and even primordials. And today's situation was most definitely not good.

I was in a corridor with the symbol of Erebus painted on the walls. "Have you planned the attack yet, Sess?" Erebus asked a dracanae.

"Yess, my lord. The attack is quite ready."

"Is the spy here?"

The dracanae hissed. "No, my lord. Ssshe is late."

"Blah! I always knew that she was a fool!"

"Yesss, my lord."

The dracanae slithered away, and Erebus rolled his eyes.

"My lord! Ssshe is here!"

With that, my dream faded into another image.

This one was of Mount Orthrys, the titans' base. The titans were regrouping into another formation, and someone was crouching behind a column, spying on them. With a start, I realized I knew the person.

"_Silena?"_

Silena Beauregard jerked her head up, and relaxed when she saw me. I gasped. Silena had died in the Second Titan War, and she was the spy for the other army. She made a mistake, so Nyx had resurrected her so she could redeem herself. She was supposed to be on a quest to find the enemy's base, and destroy it.

She put her finger to her lips. "Quiet," She mouthed. I nodded.

"—and the campers are regrouping quickly. Somehow, they knew that our surprise attack is coming." Krios, the one with the ram's horns, snarled.

Prometheus looked uneasy. "Is it the spy?"

Krios shook his head. "No, we never told her about the attack."

"But how—"

Then my dream faded into darkness, and I jolted awake.

"Ow!" Nyx cried out. I'd banged my head on her elbow.

I gasped. "Sorry!"

She laughed. "No harm done, Percy. Now come on."

She left the cabin while I changed, and I thought about my dream. _So the spy is a she,_ I realized. _Both of the leaders had named the spy a she._

Nyx poked her head into the cabin as I was trying to tame my hair. "Come _on!_ The meeting's about to begin!"

I sighed. "Coming!"

We walked into the Big House, which was crowded with people. "Meeting begin!"

Chiron started first. "Anyone have news about our spy?"

I nodded, and stood. Nyx did, too.

"Yesterday, I had a dream. The titans are planning some kind of attack, so we should be prepared. Both of the leaders called the spy a she, and it's too much to be a coincidence." I left out the part about finding Silena there.

"I also had a dream," Nyx continued. "The Titans are going to postpone their attacks to next week, so they have time to regroup. Their army is huge, but apparently the way we defeated them last time made some of them uneasy." I noticed Jenna, the girl who had lost her brother, sitting silently in the corner. Joan was next to her, and she clutched a mug of tea like it was her lifeline.

"Now what?" A camper called out. "We just sit and wait?"

I shook my head. "No. We will train, and when the army comes, we will fight."

Nyx nodded. "Meeting Adjourned!"

Chiron cantered up to me.

"I think it's time for you to pay a visit to Rachel."

Nyx looked confused. "What?"

"Rachel's the oracle," I explained. "He wants us to get a prophecy if there is one."

Nyx nodded. "Oh."

We left the room and headed towards the Apollo cabin. "Rachel? Rachel!"

She poked her head out. "Huh?"

"We need a prophecy."

She shook her head. "The spirit of Delphi isn't speaking right now. Apollo cut off its connection with him."

I sighed. "Okay. Good day."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Good day to you, too."

I joined Nyx outside. "Rachel said that Apollo cut off all connections to the oracle. Zeus's orders."

Nyx scowled. "Silly…" she muttered, and headed to eat breakfast.

JOSH OPENS HIS MOUTH A LITTLE TOO MUCH

"To the gods!" Nyx and I heard the campers toast. I rolled my eyes.

"They never change, do they?"

Nyx shrugged. "Sometimes. They used to say, 'For Olympus.'" Immediately, I knew that I'd hit a sore subject.

"Sorry." I apologized, but it still sounded lame

"It's okay," She muttered.

Chiron stomped his hoof on the table. "Everyone, listen up! Tomorrow training will begin, with Nyx, Perseus, and Josh training the campers! Does everyone understand?"

Nyx leapt to her feet. "_Him?_" she shouted. "He knows nothing about being kind to the kids he's going to teach!"

Josh glared at her. "I know more than you!" He sneered.

Nyx glowed with rage. "Want to test me?" She hissed, changing him into a small furry squirrel.

"Nyx! Enough! How can we fight a war if we are at war with each other?" I sighed, changing Josh back.

She frowned. "Fine."

Chiron stomped his hoof again. "Nyx and Perseus will also be training the gods."

"_What?"_ Zeus flashed in. "Over my dead body will we learn from them!"

Nyx glared at him. "You _will_ learn from us, starting from your ego!"

Zeus grumbled, but did as he was told.

"Gosh, how in the _world_ have the gods ruled for so long?" She complained as she sat back down.

I smirked. "Maybe because they kill everyone who is capable of taking over?"

She rolled her eyes. "Probably not everyone…"

"Yeah? There was that guy from Mexico, Luke Castellan, Silena Beauregard, Clarisse, and Chris Rodriquez."

"They killed Clarisse and Chris?"

"They were 'too wise'."

"Never mind what I said."

Chiron stomped his hoof for the third time. "_Silence!_ Tomorrow's training will be especially hard, since the war will be coming soon!"

The campers filed out of the dining pavilion.

I walked over to Hestia, who, as usual, was sitting by the fire. "Have hope," She chastened. "They are not as weak as they seem."

I nodded. _Have hope,_ I repeated to myself. _Hope is always with us._

THE CAMPERS LEARN TO FIGHT

I was horrified at the way they swung their swords, the way they blocked. Everything about them screamed _unprofessional_, and I had no doubt that they were trained by Josh.

"Your name?" I asked a five year old from the Athena cabin, and she looked up at me with solemn gray eyes.

"Mary," she said. I nodded.

"Mary, do you know how to use a weapon?"

She shook her head. "J-Josh said that little girls weren't meant to carry weapons…"

I instantly became furious. It was in the middle of the war, and he doesn't let an innocent little girl protect herself! "Okay, Mary. I'm going to show you how to use a dagger, okay?"

I took her hand and led her over to the Armory. "Here we are. Choose any blade, and we'll see how it goes, okay?"

She beamed. "Okay!" She immediately grabbed a dagger engraved with Celestial Bronze lettering on the side, and a leather wrapped hilt.

Memories engulfed me for a moment, and I remembered: the dagger she had chosen, maybe by pure luck, had been the one that Zoe Nightshade used before she died. I turned the blade over in my hand, and remembered how much I had hated her annoying attitude at first.

"This one's good," I said to her. "You can hold it like this—" I turned my hand to show her. "Or like this-"

She nodded happily, the striking image of Annabeth when she was younger.

I handed her the knife and warned her not to touch the blade. Then, I showed her some basic movements and left her to practice on her own.

"Gods, who has been teaching them?" Nyx panted, running up beside me.

I laughed. "Josh. Guess what? He thinks that girls shouldn't carry weapons!"

Nyx shook her head. "Just you wait, Percy. One day, I am going to gut him like a fish."

"I'll wait, then. This I have to see."

She chuckled. "See you later?"

"See you."

As I walked towards the training arena absentmindedly, I heard yelling.

"No, you ignorant fools! Like _this!_ You'll never get it right!" Josh screeched at a bunch of five year old boys and girls.

"Josh! Stop that this instant!" I shoved him out of the way. "Now, who were you calling an ignorant fool?"

He pointed at a girl around seven with brown hair and dark brown eyes.

"Hey. What's your name?" I asked her gently. She bit her lip.

"Jayne. My mommy is Demeter." I smiled.

"Okay, so what don't you understand?"

She shrugged. "I just can't seem to flick the blade in the right direction."

I inspected her stance and her blade. "That's because your dagger is too heavy. Here, try this one."

I handed her a smaller knife made of Imperial Gold, with a leather hilt, and guided her small hand through the movement.

"Better?"

She smiled. "Finally, I can get it right!" She looked so happy that I couldn't help but laugh.

"Good job, Jayne. Keep it up!" She beamed and ran back to her friends. I turned to Josh.

"And that is how to teach someone _properly._"

"Are you telling me that I don't know how to teach?"

"Yep. You haven't taught them a thing. So why don't you go to the armory, pick out a new knife, and practice?"

He snorted, but still left. I guided the rest of the kids through the basics, and when it was over, I was pretty sure that they could hold their own against the army.

"Percy! Lunch!" Nyx yelled. I nodded.

"C'mon, guys. Lunchtime."

"LUNCH!" Forty kids screamed at the same time.

"I think I just went deaf…" I muttered.

Nyx sighed. "Me, too. Oh, and my sisters Lily and Johanna are coming for a visit. They're going to help us fight."

I nodded. "Sure. The campers need all the help they can get."

"I know. Did you _see_ their fighting styles? They looked like crazed monkeys!"

"Come on, you'll be the last ones at lunch!" Mary squealed, running up to me. I scooped her up.

"Okay!"

JOSH FAILS AT FLIRTING

ANNABETH POV

"Lily! Johanna!" Nyx called, opening her arms at two figures who appeared out of the void.

"Nyx!" Johanna greeted, beaming at her.

They turn, and I almost faint. Because they are _perfect._ Literally. Even though as a daughter of Athena, I know that no one's perfect, they are closer than anyone can ever get.

Johanna, the one on the left, had gleaming golden brown hair cascading in waves down her back. Her midnight blue eyes twinkled and shone, the silver streaks in them glimmering in the sun. She was tall and regal, but her carefree attitude told that she was someone who preferred fun to fighting. But in that one moment I realized how horrible an enemy she would make, worse than Artemis or Zeus or even Athena.

The girl that Nyx called Lily had sleek black hair with streaks of shimmering blue and purple. It tumbled down her shoulders to settle on the small of her back. She had silvery blue eyes that flashed with lighting and reminded me of icicles, and she was also tall and regal, but far from carefree. Her eyes scanned the clearing and finally settled on Josh, fixing him with a glare that he deserved. Despite her gentle name, I could tell that this girl was dangerous. Very dangerous.

Nyx snapped me out of my trance. "Campers, this is Lily, the Primordial of the elements and war. She prefers to be called Tempest. And this is Johanna, the Primordial of healing and battle strategy. They're my sisters, daughters of Chaos. Johanna's older, but don't ever ask their ages. In case anyone wants to know, I'm the middle child."

Johanna beamed at the campers. "Hey. I'm Johanna."

Lily stepped up next to her. "I'm Lily, but call me Tempest."

I saw Josh's brain wondering how to date them. He sauntered up to Johanna, and casually asked, "Are you single?"

I mentally groaned. _Oh, no, another perfectly decent girl lost to his stupidity,_ I thought.

Johanna smiled sweetly at him. "Yes," she drawled, and then kicked him right in the crotch with her metal tipped combat boots.

He howled in pain and fell to the ground, and Lily—Tempest—gave Johanna a high five. Then, she pulled out a small blade and crouched down next to Josh.

"Don't even_ think_ about doing that to me, or this blade will end up_ in your crotch._" She hissed.

Josh whimpered and nodded, still groaning in pain.

"Gods," I heard Lily whisper. "Everywhere we go, boys fawn over us. Why won't they freaking _get_ that we're not interested?"

Johanna snickered. "Maybe because you never tell them; you only beat the crap out of them?"

"Not funny! Besides, it's not like you don't."

"Yes, it's much more fun to beat them to a pulp," Johanna agreed.

Josh gulped and scrambled up. Then, he slowly retreated into the back of the crowd.

"Oh, yes," Nyx added. "They hate boys."

Percy rolled his eyes. 'You could've told them that earlier…"

"But we would've missed Josh getting beat up…" Nyx added.

"And that would be a tragedy." Johanna finished.

Lily glared at Johanna. And believe me, if you've never seen Lily glare, you've never been truly frightened.

"You could've left some for me!" She accused.

Johanna shrugged. "It's not my fault that he's a sissy and can't take one measly kick."

"We could've beat him up anyway," Lily complained.

"He's not that bad…" Johanna sighed.

"Says the girl who just kicked him in the crotch," Nyx snickered.

"And the girl who said that not watching him get beat up would be a tragedy," Lily smirked.

Johanna threw her hands up in exasperation. "Okay, okay, we get the point!"

I gulped. If they really hated Josh as much as they said they did, then Josh would be dead.

"Guys, you can stay in my cabin," Nyx offered. Percy nodded.

"Just… try not to damage Josh too much," he said a bit reluctantly.

"_Why_?" Lily asked.

Percy sighed. "He's… needed in the war."

"Oh, _please,_" Johanna scoffed. "He'd just be sitting around drinking cola while the rest of us fight to the death."

"True, true," Percy admitted. "Fine. But leave him in good enough shape to fight."

The two immortals raced off, and I gulped again mentally. _What has Josh gotten himself into?_

TRAINING WITH JOHANNA AND LILY STARTS AND DISPUTES OCCUR

OMEGA POV

I woke up to a sharp bolt of lightning shot through my arm.

"Get _up!"_ Johanna yelled. I sighed.

"I'm up, I'm _up!_"

She clapped sarcastically. "Finally, the sleeping beauty awakes!"

"I am _not_ a sleeping beauty!"

"You take forever to wake up!" Johanna complained.

Lily smirked. "I told you that shocking him would wake him up!"

"It's not good for him!"

"So? It's not like he can die!"

I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and shooed the women out so I could change. Lily was waiting for me outside.

"You _are_ going to teach the campers archery unless you want to be the first god to die," She threatened, her blue eyes sparking with lightning.

I rolled my eyes. "My plans anyway."

Lily clapped her hands, and a buffet appeared in front of the campers. "Eat up!"

They dive bombed the food, and within minutes it was gone.

"Everyone, _Quiet!"_ Johanna shouted. The entire pavilion went silent.

"Okay, so today we will be doing training. Lily will be training the campers in sword fighting, I will be training them in close range weaponry, and Perseus here will train them in archery."

Chiron gasped. "B-but you're horrible at archery! The last time, you shot an arrow into my tail!"

Nyx, Johanna and Lily burst into hysterics. "You—shot- an- arrow into Chiron's _tail?_" Lily gasped, clutching her sides.

I glared at her, but she glared back. "Training will begin as soon as breakfast is over!" Chiron announced, and the campers gulped down their meals and rushed towards the arena.

"Percy, I'll be with Johanna and Lily," Nyx told me.

I nodded. "Sure."

The last thing I heard before I walked out of the Pavilion was Lily telling Johanna that "I hope I get Josh so I can beat him to a pulp."

JOHANNA POV:

The first thing I thought when I saw the kids fight was: Horrible. The second thing was: I think Josh trained them. The third was: If I ever get my hands on him, I will murder him slowly and painfully.

"Come on, Johanna!" Lily glared at me. I frowned.

"Coming, jeez…"

We found Josh sitting in the shade of Thalia's pine tree, sipping a cola and relaxing.

"Josh, get your fat butt off the ground and come train!" I snapped. Lily stepped next to me.

"Or we'll kick it off," she added. I rolled my eyes.

"Didn't have to threaten him…" I muttered as I looked at his whimpering form. "Pathetic."

"See? Even you agree!" Lily raised her eyebrows at me pointedly. I sighed.

"Come on, sis. Let's get this lazy bum to the arena and then we can argue over how pathetic he is," I suggested.

She shrugged. "Doesn't matter."

We hauled him to the arena, and of course he was the first to challenge us.

"Hey, guys, why don't you show us how good you really are?" He taunted. Lily sent me a look like, _can you believe that they have humans this stupid?_

"Sure. Johanna, you go first. I'm going to wait, because if I torture him like I plan to, he won't be able to fight you."

Josh gulped, but to his credit, didn't back down. "Ready?" He asked like someone who thought he was going to win.

"Whenever you are." This comment pissed him off, and he leaped at me with a battle cry.

"Gods, why are you so _dense?_" I complained. "Your head is so full of air, you're like a hot air balloon!"

He snarled and brought his blade up sideways. I sidestepped, and he tripped over his own feet, almost spearing himself on his sword. Before he could get up, I yanked two throwing knives out of their sheathes on my belt, and with a flick of my wrist he was pinned to the earth by his shirtsleeves.

"Who's laughing now?" I taunted, pulling my dagger out and resting the sharp end on his throat. "I believe I win."

I yanked my blades off of him and nodded at Lily. "He's all yours."

She smiled evilly, and I almost regretted handing him over.

"No problem. Josh, how do you feel about fire?"

"No! Please, no!" He screeched, as she lit the grass around him on fire. He screamed as the flames engulfed him, and I leapt forward.

"Lily, _no!_ Don't make him fade! We still need him in the war, no matter how useless he is!"

She crossed her arms. "Fine." With a flick of her finger, the fire was put out, leaving a very badly burned Josh glaring at everyone, before groaning, picking himself up, and limping to the infirmary.

"You know what? Training is over for now," I suggested, and the campers filed out the door.

I BABYSIT A VERY LARGE DRAGON

OMEGA POV:

The campers screeched and milled around uselessly, hurrying into armor and grabbing their weapons. I heard it before we could see it, which was good considering its massive size.

"T-that's the M-Micrian Dragon," Jason gasped, and Piper looked grieved with a hint of some emotion in her eyes.

I didn't have time to investigate, though, because just then the dragon roared and burst through our defense line, entering the camp.

"Come _on!"_ Johanna yelled, leading a group of archers to a secluded spot where they could shoot without worrying about the dragon seeing them.

Lily led a group of Ares children headfirst into the midst of the battle, slashing and hacking with her double bladed sword.

I ran towards the dragon, and stabbed my sword into its eye. It roared, but didn't dissolve. Half blind, It swung it's snout around and knocked Lily off her chariot. Then, it roared and sent a blast of fire into Johanna's face.

I ran over to Johanna, but surprisingly she was unscathed.

"I'm immune to fire and so is Lily," She reassured me. "We'll be fine."

I wasn't so sure, but one thing I was sure of was that Johanna would stab my eye out if I questioned her further. I left.

The dragon roared and swatted down the Demeter cabin, and set the Nemesis cabin on fire. "Aim, Fire!" Johanna yelled, but no one heard her. She cursed in Ancient Greek, and drew a small dagger engraved with the words_ Moonrise_.

When the dragon snapped its tail around to whack Johanna in the side of the head, Lily saw an opening. She raced out from nowhere and drove her sword into its mouth. The dragon screeched as it was burned from the inside out, and finally collapsed into a smoking heap.

I assessed the damage. Half the camp was smoking and charred, but I snapped my fingers and they returned to normal. Luckily, no campers had died, so there were no shrouds.

"Lily! Johanna! Are you two okay?"

Johanna limped over. "Fine. Twisted ankle, but it'll pass."

Lily scowled. "We're not made of glass." She glared at me. Johanna grabbed her arm, and she winced.

"Gods, Jo, no need to kill my arm," she teased. Johanna's hand glowed gold, and the broken bone I hadn't even noticed knit itself back together.

Lily smiled wearily. "Thanks. Bye, guys."

I groaned. "Really?"

Johanna laughed. "She never sticks around. She's a bundle of energy, that one."

"You could say _that _again."

"Imagine _living_ with her. She used to keep me up all night practicing battle moves. Luckily, immortals age quickly."

"Hey, Lily, you okay?" Josh asked Lily sweetly. Lily's eyes opened wide, and then flashed red.

"Get _out," _I hissed at a camper who had strayed too close for his own safety.

Sure enough, a second later, Lily's leg shot out and nailed Josh in the gut.

"OWWWWWWW!" He screeched, doubling over. Lily turned and strode away.

I rolled my eyes, and Johanna smirked. "She does that to everyone."

As if to prove Johanna's statement, Lily marched up and punched Johanna in the stomach. To my surprise, Johanna didn't even flinch.

"What was that for?" She asked calmly.

"For not helping me," Lily smirked. "We could've beat him up more."

"I'm used to being punched," Johanna explained. "She does that all the time."

I made the mistake of laughing, and both sisters punched me in the gut, hard.

"Ow! What was _that_ for?" I complained.

"For laughing," Johanna said simply.

I groaned. "Wonderful. Absolutely wonderful."

Johanna snickered as she followed Lily out of the pavilion.

THE CAMPERS GO CHEERLEADING

OMEGA POV

At the campfire, an Apollo camper had a really silly idea. "Let's do another sing-along!" Jaz squealed.

Lily groaned. "Oh, gods…"

Johanna shrugged. "It can't be that bad…"

"Let's get Percy and Nyx to start!" Chiron declared. I grimaced.

"But we just went last time!"

Nyx shrugged, dragging me up onto the stage. "Might as well get it over with." She leaned over and whispered the song she wanted into my ear. I shrugged and snapped my fingers, and music blared out into the speakers.

**After all you put me through  
You'd think I'd despise you  
But in the end I wanna thank you  
'Cause you made that much stronger**

Well I thought I knew you  
Thinking that you were true  
Guess I, I couldn't trust called your bluff  
Time is up, 'cause I've had enough

You were there by my side  
Always down for the ride  
But your joy ride just came down in flames  
'Cause your greed sold me out in shame, mmm hmm

After all of the stealing and cheating  
You probably think that  
I hold resentment for you  
But uh uh, oh no, you're wrong

'Cause if it wasn't for all  
That you tried to do  
I wouldn't know just how capable I am to pull through  
So I wanna say thank you

'Cause it  
Makes me that much stronger  
Makes me work a little bit harder  
Makes me that much wiser  
So thanks for making me a fighter

Made me learn a little bit faster  
Made my skin a little bit thicker  
Makes me that much smarter  
So thanks for making me a fighter

Never saw it coming  
All of your backstabbing  
Just so, you could cash in on a good thing  
Before I'd realized your game

I heard you're going 'round  
Playin' the victim now  
But don't even begin feelin' I'm the one to blame  
'Cause you dug your own grave

_After all of the fights and the lies  
Guess you're wanting to hurt me  
But that won't work anymore  
No more, uh uh, it's over_

'Cause if it wasn't for all of your torture  
I wouldn't know how to be this way now

And never back down  
So I wanna say thank you

'Cause it  
Makes me that much stronger  
Makes me work a little bit harder  
Makes me that much wiser  
So thanks for making me a fighter

Made me learn a little bit faster  
Made my skin a little bit thicker  
Makes me that much smarter  
So thanks for making me a fighter

How could these people I thought I knew  
Turn out to be unjust so cruel?  
Could only see the good in you  
Pretended not to see the truth

You tried to hide your lies  
Disguise yourself through  
Living in denial  
But in the end you'll see  
You won't stop me

I am a fighter  
(I'm a fighter)  
I ain't gonna stop  
(I ain't gonna stop)  
There is no turning back  
I've had enough

Makes me that much stronger  
Makes me work a little bit harder  
Makes me that much wiser  
So thanks for making me a fighter

Made me learn a little bit faster  
Made my skin a little bit thicker  
Makes me that much smarter  
So thanks for making me a fighter

Thought I would forget  
But I, I remember  
Yes I remember  
I'll remember

Thought I would forget  
But I remember  
Yes I remember  
I'll remember

Makes me that much stronger  
Makes me work a little bit harder  
Makes me that much wiser  
So thanks for making me a fighter

Made me learn a little bit faster  
Made my skin a little bit thicker  
Makes me that much smarter  
So thanks for making me a fighter

"If we have to do this, so do you!" Nyx exclaimed, leaping off the stage and dragging Johanna and Lily up.

Johanna sighed, and Lily whispered a song into her ear. Music played, and she started singing.

**We keep heading in the same direction  
You become my own reflection  
Is that your soul that you're trying to protect  
I always hoped that we would intersect, yeah**

**Give me time to cope and time to heal  
Time to cry if it's what you feel  
Oh, life can hope, when it gets too real  
I can hold you up when it's hard to feel**

**Alive, alive  
Alive is all I wanna feel  
Tonight, tonight  
I need to be where you are  
I need to be where you are**

**Hey you, look around  
Can you hear that noise, it's a rebel sound  
We got nowhere else to go**

**And when the sun goes down and we fill the streets  
You're gonna dance till the morning to the rebels beat  
You can take everything from me  
'Cause this is all I need.**

_You know that life is like a ticking clock  
Nobody knows when it's gonna stop, yeah  
Before I'm gone I need to touch someone  
With a word, with a kiss, with a decent song yeah_

_And it gets lonely when you live out loud  
When the truth that you seek isn't in this crowd  
You better find your voice, better make it loud  
We're gonna burn that fire, or we'll just burn out_

_Alive, alive  
Alive is all I wanna feel  
Tonight, tonight  
I need to be where you are  
I need to be where you are_

_Hey you, look around  
Can you hear that noise, it's a rebel sound  
We got nowhere else to go_

_And when the sun goes down and we fill the streets  
You're gonna dance till the morning to the rebels beat  
You can take everything from me, oh yeah  
You can take everything from me  
'Cause this is all I need_

_We are free tonight  
And everything's alright  
Put your arms around me  
Baby, show me how to move you  
'Cause there's no worries, there's no cares  
Feel the sound that's everywhere  
Take what's ours for once and baby, run like hell!_

_Hey you, look around  
Can you hear that noise, it's a rebel sound  
We got nowhere else to go_

_Hey you, look around  
Can you hear that noise, it's a rebel sound  
We got nowhere else to go_

_And when the sun goes down and we fill the streets  
You're gonna dance till the morning to the rebels beat  
You can take everything from me, oh yeah  
You can take everything from me  
'Cause this is all I need  
This is all I need_

"One more song, guys. One more."

**So this is what you meant when you said that you were spent?  
And now it's time to build from the bottom of the pit right to the top,  
Don't hold back  
Packing my bags and giving the academy a rain check**

I don't ever want to let you down  
I don't ever want to leave this town  
'Cause after all  
This city never sleeps at night...

It's time to begin, isn't it?  
I get a little bit bigger, but then,  
I'll admit, I'm just the same as I was  
Now don't you understand  
That I'm never changing who I am?

So this is where you fell, and I am left to sell  
the path that heaven runs through miles of clouded hell,  
right to the top  
Don't look back  
Turning to rags and give the commodities a rain check

I don't ever want to let you down  
I don't ever want to leave this town  
'Cause after all  
This city never sleeps at night...

_It's time to begin, isn't it?  
I get a little bit bigger, but then,  
I'll admit, I'm just the same as I was  
Now don't you understand  
That I'm never changing who I am?_

It's time to begin, isn't it?  
I get a little bit bigger, but then,  
I'll admit, I'm just the same as I was  
Now don't you understand  
That I'm never changing who I am?

This road never looked so lonely,  
This house doesn't burn down slowly,  
to ashes, to ashes...

It's time to begin, isn't it?  
I get a little bit bigger, but then,  
I'll admit, I'm just the same as I was  
Now don't you understand  
That I'm never changing who I am?

It's time to begin, isn't it?  
I get a little bit bigger, but then,  
I'll admit, I'm just the same as I was  
Now don't you understand  
That I'm never changing who I am

The people cheered, and the Apollo cabin took the stage.

**We come into this world unknown  
But know that we are not alone  
They try and knock us down  
But change is coming, it's our time now**

Hey... everybody loses it,  
Everybody wants to throw it all away sometimes  
And hey... yeah I know what you're going through  
Don't let it get the best of you, you'll make it out alive  
Ohh

People like us we've gotta stick together  
Keep your head up, nothing lasts forever  
Here's to the damned, to the lost and forgotten  
It's hard to get high when you're living on the bottom

Oh woah oh oh woah oh  
We are all misfits living in a world on fire  
Oh woah oh oh woah oh  
Sing it for the people like us, the people like us

Hey, this is not a funeral  
It's a revolution, after all your tears have turned to rage  
Just wait, everything will be okay  
Even when you're feeling like it's going down in flames  
Ohh

People like us we've gotta stick together  
Keep your head up nothing lasts forever  
Here's to the damned, to the lost and forgotten  
It's hard to get high when you're living on the bottom

Oh woah oh oh woah oh  
We are all misfits living in a world on fire  
Oh woah oh oh woah oh  
Sing it for the people like us, the people like us

Oh woah oh oh woah oh  
You've just gotta turn it up loud when the flames get higher  
Oh woah oh oh woah oh  
Sing it for the people like us, the people like us

They can't do nothing to you, they can't do nothing to me  
This is the life that we choose, this is the life that we bleed  
So throw your fists in the air, come out, come out if you dare  
Tonight we're gonna change forever

Everybody loses it, everybody wants to throw it all away sometimes  
Ohh

People like us we've gotta stick together  
Keep your head up nothing lasts forever  
Here's to the damned, to the lost and forgotten  
It's hard to get high when you're living on the bottom

Oh woah oh oh woah oh  
We are all misfits living in a world on fire  
Oh woah oh oh woah oh  
Sing it for the people like us, the people like us

Oh woah oh oh woah oh  
You've just got to turn it up loud when the flames get higher  
Oh woah oh oh woah oh  
Sing it for the people like us, the people like us

Oh woah oh oh woah oh  
We're all misfits living in a world on fire  
Oh woah oh oh woah oh  
Sing it for the people like us, the people like us

Oh woah oh oh woah oh  
You've just got to turn it up loud when the flames get higher  
Oh woah oh oh woah oh  
Sing it for the people like us, the people like us

By the time Chiron called for lights out, everyone was dead tired. The campfire was put out, and we all stumbled back to our cabins, glad for the one moment of fun.

THE CAMP IS DESTROYED

JOHANNA POV:

I woke up to a bucket of ice water in the face.

"Lily!"

She smirked. "What? Got you up, right?"

I shook my head. "It certainly did, Lily." I brushed my teeth and combed my hair, throwing on a red top and black jeans before slipping my feet into combat boots and heading outside.

"Shut_ up!_" Reyna screamed. "Just because you're the camp director doesn't mean you can just randomly go around scaring the hell out of people!"

Josh sneered. "Yeah, _prissy?_ Well how come you're the only one scared? Are you sissy?"

Bad move. Reyna leaped at him and drew her dagger, effectively cutting off his taunt. He tried to dodge, but failed so badly it was almost humorous. Reyna's hilt caught him in the head, and he crumpled like a rag doll.

"No! What'd you do?" Kevin, a Josh supporter, leaped at Reyna with his spear out.

Lily groaned. "How are we supposed to win this war if we're fighting amongst ourselves?"

"The spy," I realized. "Like how Erebus knew that we were weak when he unleashed the dragon, and how he knows that we'll tear each other apart. He knows us better than we do."

Lily nodded slowly. "But this isn't even _productive _fighting. It's not noble, or heroic, or pretty much anything. In fact, it's pretty much nothing at all."

"Erebus knows that, Lily. Do you really think that he'd let us do _productive_ fighting?"

"He doesn't control us, Jo. Why are you acting like he does?"

I sighed. "You don't understand. He _is_ controlling us. He's manipulating us so that we'll basically kill each other off, and then he'll swoop in and win the war. War is serious, Lily. It's violent. Most of the time, neither side really wins. Even though there might be some gain, sooner or later the others are going to get their revenge. And the cycle starts all over again."

"How the hell do you know all that? You sound like the walking encyclopedia that just gave me the definition of war."

I smiled wryly. "I am the goddess of battle strategy, Lily. And war is so much more than just meaningless bloodshed."

She scowled. "I still want to beat the crap out of Josh."

I laughed. "No one's stopping you, Lily. Just remember, though. Erebus knows all our fatal flaws. Yours is hiding your emotions. Mine is loyalty. He'll find a way to manipulate those flaws when he's planning the attacks. He knows us better than we know ourselves. We are all pawns, whether we like it or not."

She shrugged. "I'd better break up the fight,"

"Yeah. It's getting pretty serious."

Lily trudged off to stop them from fighting, and I beckoned Nyx over.

"What?"

I held out my hand, and a map appeared.

"Look. There's an army here, here and _here._ We're outnumbered, Nyx. Add that to the fact that we're basically murdering each other, and you get definite loss for us."

Nyx sighed wearily. "Look, there's no guarantee for how the course of the war is going to go, and there's no way to actually predict how the war is going to end. We just have to go with it, right?"

The way she said it sounded like she was trying to comfort herself.

"You're right," I admitted. "But I still don't like the way this is going. He knows us, Nyx. He knows everything because of the spy. Right now, he is has the advantage."

She shook her head. "No one does, right? Live a little." She sighed again, and got up and left, leaving me sitting on the bench deep in thought.

WE KISS AND MAKE UP

It was a typical breakfast scene. That was, until Chiron pounded his hoof on the table, effectively gaining everyone's attention. "Everyone, pay attention, because this is how the training will go! Everyone will pair up, and they will spar. Then, whoever wins will choose another winner, until only one person is left. Gods can only fight gods until challenged. The pairs will be as following—"

"Wait, we don't get to choose?" A camper asked.

"No. Annabeth and Josh, Reyna and Leo, Percy and Nyx, Johanna and Lily, Michelle and Danielle, Mary and Chloe, Diana and Joan, Jamie and Jane, Jenna and Katie…"

He proceeded to list off a bunch of names, but I wasn't paying attention. Johanna and Lily? Those two were going to kill each other!

Nyx put her hand on my shoulder. "They do care for each other, Percy," she said gently. "They won't do anything drastic."

I smiled. "That's all I need to know."

She laughed. "Come on, the first one there gets to choose weapons."

I darted past her and she ran after me, shrieking. "No fair!"

As we hurtled through the doors, she unsheathed her blade, a two foot long curved sword with stars flickering on the tip.

"You're on!" She teased, swinging it at me. I ducked and went on offense, and she was forced backwards.

She pressed me forward, and I went on defense. Leaping forward, I brought my blade under hers and disarmed her. Then, I tackled her and ended up with my blade at her neck.

"Admit defeat?" I teased. She nodded, and from the far side of the room I caught sight of Johanna and Lily calling it a tie when both of them had lost their weapons.

"Michelle, beat this!" Danielle shouted, as the two girls ran at each other. I surveyed the arena, confident that we at least had a chance at winning the war.

_Now, if only we knew the spy…_

Johanna's hard smack in the face brought me back to reality. "Hello! Void to Percy!"

I rubbed my cheek. "What?"

She frowned at me disapprovingly. "Were you thinking about the spy again?" She accused.

I sighed. "Yes."

Nyx and Lily joined her. "You know, you shouldn't worry so much," Nyx reprimanded.

"You can't change the outcome; what's done is done," Lily added. Only Johanna still looked troubled.

"They're right, you know," She finally said. "You can't control what's going to happen, but you _can _control how strong you are. So get your butt back to training."

I laughed. "I'll do that."

"Oh, and Johanna? I'll have a word with you later," Lily added. She exhaled.

"Fine."

And the arena filled with the sound of metal on metal as the campers trained for the battle of their lives.

A FLYING PIG—GREAT, PORK!

"_REEET!" _ Nature spirits gaped at the massive pork structure. Except this time, it was decked out in full Greek armor and breathing ice.

"Oh. My. God. I haven't gotten to hunt one of those in _forever!"_ Lily screeched. Johanna nodded.

"I know! They're great for practice!"

When they saw all the weird looks they were getting, Johanna shrugged. "We used to hunt them for practice."

The pig thudded down, narrowly missing one of the nymphs.

"_REEEET!" _It squealed.

"You hunt _that_ for _practice?_"

"Yep."

Johanna took after it, zipping behind it in a pair of winged sandals. Lily followed, holding twin swords.

It swooped down, with Johanna and Lily in pursuit, and slammed it's hooves into the ground, a cloud of dust concealing the two from sight.

"Cover! Duck and retreat!" Chiron cried out.

"No! Stand!" Lily's voice echoed from within the cloud of dust.

"We've got this!" Johanna reassured everyone.

The scene cleared, and the pig was running around on thin air, while Lily tried to find chinks in its armor as Johanna kept it distracted.

"Hold on!" Lily shouted, as she tossed a spear to Johanna, who gripped the base and drove it into the pig's snout.

"_REEEET!" _ The pic squealed as it dissolved into dust.

Johanna yanked the spear out and handed it to Lily. "Thanks," She nodded.

Lily shrugged. "Eh."

When I laughed, she whipped around. "_What?" _

"Only you, Lily. Only you."

She snickered. "Yep."

The other campers stared at us in disbelief, until Johanna waved her hand and several small explosions snapped them out of their trance.

"Mortals," She muttered. "So damn stupid."

Lily looked like she was about to curse, but Johanna elbowed her hard in the chest.

"Kids!" She warned.

Lily frowned. "So? It's not like they'd know what it means!"

"Can you _imagine_ a bunch of screaming little kids saying the f-word over and over?"

"Yep. That would be awesome."

Johanna groaned. "You're hopeless."

"Thank you."

"That was not a compliment!" Johanna huffed.

"Your point is?"

I decided to cut in. "Girls, girls, you're both pretty!"

Cue two extremely hard punches in the gut and one slap in the face.

"O!"

"O! Is right." Lily nodded.

I scowled. "Why do you guys hit so hard?"

"Do you want us to hit harder?" Johanna suggested innocently.

"No. No, that's okay," I said.

"Thought so."

I groaned. "Gods, are all women this annoying?"

"Maybe?"

Nyx saved me from further questions. "Gods! What is _wrong_ with you three? Every single time I come over, you guys are fighting?"

"It's a hobby," Lily joked.

Johanna smiled. "No, a pastime."

As they walked off, I turned to Nyx. "Are they always like this?"

"Pretty much."

I frowned. "So they slap people in the face all the time?"

"No, why? Did they slap you?"

"Well, Johanna did. Lily punched me in the gut twice. Johanna's slaps hurt like Hades."

Nyx snickered. "Well. Then you deal with it. You're the one who got yourself into this mess, now dig yourself out."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, they don't usually slap people just for the sake of it. Lily does, but that's beside the point."

I smiled. "Maybe it was the 'pretty' comment?"

"There you go."

I grimaced. "_Never_ doing that again."

She smirked. "Exactly."

As she walked away, I was left with one thought: _are all women this confusing?_

WE DRAW WAR PLANS

LILY POV:

The pavilion was filled with random yelling, and this idiotic Ares kid telling everyone to shut up, which just added to the noise.

Chiron pounded his hoof on the table so hard I briefly wondered if it hurt. "Children! We will be drawing war plans for the day, so everyone eat up!"

Now that was insulting, being called a child, but one look at Johanna's face told me that this was _not _the appropriate time to smack Chiron for calling me a _child._

Percy snapped his fingers, and a roll of paper appeared. On the center was a map of Manhattan. "Okay," he started. "There are invasion routes _here, here, and here._" He snapped his fingers, and several red dots appeared in the map.

"So what do we do now?" Jason asked.

Percy held up one finger. "You, Piper, Reyna, and Leo go draw possible invasions from the west. Katie, Johanna, Lily, and Josh, you guys go draw from the north. Nyx, Nico and I will do the south, and Matt, Annabeth, and Thalia will do the east. Mark all possible invasion routes and camps using a pencil. Erase if necessary. Then, mark in black all possible weaknesses. Begin!"

Everyone scurried to grab a pencil, and began drawing. I turned to Johanna. "Why do we get stuck with him?" I grumbled.

Johanna sighed. "No clue. Hey, Squirt, get to work!" She snapped her fingers in front of his nose twice, and he grabbed a pencil and began to sketch.

"Squirt?" That was new.

"He's small, stupid, and has control over water. Squirt."

I laughed. "Sure."

Josh stomped his foot. "Stupid damned piece of—"

"Shush! The little kids might hear!" Johanna exclaimed.

_So let them,_ I thought, but didn't mention it out loud. Peering over his shoulder, I could see that what he was drawing was complete crap.

"Oh my gods, here! I'm doing it!" Johanna cried, exasperated. She snatched the pencil away from Josh and kicked him away.

"Here is the most common one, here's the easiest route, and here's the most undefended route," I supplied.

She nodded. "Yes. And here—" She pointed to a route I hadn't even seen until then. "Is a route that most people don't see until they're being invaded there."

"Get to the darned point!"

She scowled. "Fine. So basically, we're screwed."

Percy laughed. "I'm sure that's not what she means."

I glared at him. "He's right, that's not what I meant."

"_Okay!_ So here are all the routes we can take to invade them, and _here_ are places that their camp may be."

Percy nodded. "Yes. And—Josh, get your behind here now!"

We turned to find that Josh was playing 'casually' with a ball of water.

"That's it! I'm going to kill him!" I muttered, lunging forward. Johanna yanked on my arm, pulling me back.

"What do you think you're doing?" I hissed. "I'm going to kill him!"

She stared at me calmly. "That's exactly why. I hate him too, but we can't kill him. However…" She trailed off, permanently implanting several evil ideas into my brain.

I reached forward and touched Josh on the leg, and a web of ice spread over him before he could say _holy Hades._

Johanna shook her head wearily, but I caught her eyes twinkling at me.

"Okay, so what next?"

I laughed. "We prevent the others from killing each other."

As we turned back, I noticed that I had guessed right. The groups were all yelling at each other, blaming each other for random occurrences.

"Okay. Everyone settle down!" Johanna said firmly. I could feel the charmspeak she was using, and I was suddenly glad that we were immune to each other's magical powers.

Everyone sat down as if in a trance, and Percy smirked. "Kay, so let's see what we have so far," he suggested, and Thalia pointed to the center of Manhattan.

"So here we are," She started. "The enemy can invade from here, here, here, and here. They're possible bases are here, here, here, here, and here. We can invade from here and here."

I nodded. "Very good. Now, can anyone name a spot where enemies need to go?"

Katie raised her hand. "They need water, so by those two rivers."

Johanna smiled at her. "Good. And where can they possibly be camped?"

"That bed of reeds there looks awfully comfortable."

"Very good! So we will have guards posted here and here."

Chiron nodded. "Good job, campers. Have a good day."

He rolled up the map and put it in his pouch, and trotted away.

ATLAS GAINS WATER POWERS

ANNABETH POV

The first thing I heard was the alarm horn, so loud it almost burst my eardrums. I leapt out of bed and ducked into armor, thanking Athena that I slept in a t-shirt and shorts.

The entire cabin was full of clanking noises as the entire cabin prepared for war. But what we saw outside was not at all what we were expecting.

"Well, well, children. Miss me?" Erebus chuckled coldly, a sound that sent shivers down my spine.

"And me." Atlas stepped out from behind him, I almost gasped.

"But you're supposed to be under the sky!" Katie protested. Atlas smiled coldly.

"Yes, _my dear._ But…" He waved his hand and a screen of mist appeared, showing the sky. Two pillars stood supporting it."

"How did you get control over water?" Josh asked dumbly.

"It does help that Oceanus is one of us, you know…"

I face-palmed.

Atlas smirked. "Would you like a demonstration?" He raised an eyebrow and suddenly the entire pavilion was filling with water. Percy willed it to retreat, but the water filled up so quickly that it did no good except allowing him to breathe.

Poseidon flashed in. "No! I will not allow this!" He stabbed his trident into the ground, and we were incased in a giant milky sphere.

"Who are _those_ two?" He demanded. He was glaring at Johanna and Lily.

"They are allies," Katie stammered. Poseidon rolled his eyes.

"Well, they can drown for all I care."

"Poseidon! They are _allies!_" Katie protested.

He rolled his eyes and turned away.

The earth sprang up and cuffed them, and I shut my eyes. They would have to drown slowly in this murky water, because even immortals couldn't breathe underwater.

Suddenly, our bubble quaked. Atlas reached in and grabbed Jason and Andrew of the Aphrodite cabin, brushing aside Piper as he dragged them into the murky depths. _No! _

Piper screamed, pounding on the unrelenting sides of the sphere. The two boys struggled uselessly against Atlas's strong grip, and after a grueling fight they went limp. The water drained from the camp, and Lily and Johanna burst out of their cuffs—having apparently figured out a way to disconnect them from Gaea—and raced towards their bodies.

Atlas—the coward—disappeared as soon as they broke free.

"No! Jason! Jason!" Piper pushed her way out of the sphere, ignoring Poseidon's protests and knelt besides her boyfriend.

His body was so still that a flash of panic encased me. _Was he dead?!_

THE SPY IS REVEALED

OMEGA POV

I raced out of the unneeded air bubble to survey the camp. It looked fine, except for the bodies of the two boys lying in the middle of the pavilion.

Johanna was rapidly massaging Jason's chest. She nodded towards her sister, and Lily touched his arm and sent a stream of electricity into him. Jason coughed, and water trickled out of his mouth.

"How…"

Piper sobbed, burying her face into his damp clothing. "I thought you were dead, Jason! You were so still…"

Johanna slowly backed away from the couple and turned to Andrew, pumping the water out of his lungs. Lily helped by supplying an electrical shock.

Johanna knelt there, repeating the same procedure over and over. After half an hour, she sat back and massaged her temples. She gestured to Lily, and they had a short, rapid discussion in Ancient Greece.

Lily put her hand on his arm and shocked him twice, but he still lay there. Horror closed over me.

Johanna sighed. Then, she looked up and shook her head ever so slightly.

Piper screamed. "No! No! _No!" _She ran over to her brother's limp body and knelt besides it. Behind her, Jason put his hand on her shoulder.

"He'll go to Elysium," he murmured. "He died a hero's death."

Piper buried her head in her hands. "This is my fault."

Jason shook his head fiercely. "How is it your fault, Pipes?"

Johanna's mouth dropped open into a perfect 'O'. Lily covered her mouth with her hand to silence her gasp.

I frowned. "Piper, are you okay?"

She sobbed harder. "No. No. His death was my fault. Everything. All of it. I killed my own brother, Jason." Her voice was horrified and hollow.

She didn't seem to recognize or acknowledge my presence.

Jason rubbed her shoulders. "Don't blame yourself, Piper."

"I'm… I'm not. I'm not blaming, Jason. I could have prevented this. I could have… backed out. But… he promised, Jason. Promised you'd be safe."

It sounded horrifyingly familiar to what Silena had said before she died. _No,_ I thought. _She can't be._

But a cold fist closed over my heart as she opened her hand to reveal the Silver Star lying in her palm.


End file.
